WCCO will broadcast the Morning Show with Dave Lee from Mayo Clinic on Oct. 10 from 5 to 9 a.m.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — News Radio 830 WCCO joins Mayo Clinic in marking its 150th anniversary with a live broadcast of the Morning Show with Dave Lee on Friday, Oct. 10, 5–9 a.m. from the Landow Atrium in the Gonda Building on the Mayo Clinic campus in Rochester. The public is encouraged to tune in.

Study also shows that caffeine may help mood and memory in perimenopausal women

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A new Mayo Clinic study, published online today by the journal Menopause, found an association between caffeine intake and more bothersome hot flashes and night sweats in postmenopausal women. The study also showed an association between caffeine intake and fewer problems with mood, memory and concentration in perimenopausal women, possibly because caffeine is known to enhance arousal, mood and attention. The findings of this largest study to date on caffeine and menopausal symptoms are published on the Menopause website and will also be printed in a future issue of the journal.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that the five-year survival of diabetic kidney transplant patients is now on par with the five-year survival of nondiabetic kidney recipients.

These new findings are published on the Kidney International website and will also be printed in a future issue of the journal.

The study findings represent significant improvements in the management of kidney transplant patients who have diabetes and pre-transplant consequences of diabetes such as heart disease and high blood pressure. The study also suggests that improvements in patient management post-transplant have resulted in significant declines in subsequent cardiac events and a reduction in infections. Prior to 2004, the five-year mortality rate of diabetic kidney transplant patients was more than double that of nondiabetic kidney recipients.

To arrive at these latest findings, a Mayo Clinic research team led by Fernando Cosio, M.D., medical director of kidney and pancreas transplantation, analyzed the experiences of 1,688 kidney recipients, including 413 with diabetes prior to transplant between 1996 and 2007.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Here are highlights from the April issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. You may cite this publication as often as you wish. Reprinting is allowed for a fee. Mayo Clinic Health Letter attribution is required. Include the following subscription information as your editorial policies permit: Visit http://www.HealthLetter.MayoClinic.com or call toll-free for subscription information, 1-800-333-9037, extension 9771. Full newsletter text: Mayo Clinic Health Letter April 2014 (for journalists only).

How the placebo effect enhances healing

Researchers are working to better understand the placebo effect, how it works and how it can be harnessed to improve therapies. The April issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers what’s known about this phenomenon and how it may work to improve health.

The placebo effect is most evident in medical research. It’s a person’s belief that an inactive treatment is working just as well as the presumed active therapy being studied. Well-intentioned medical advances, when compared to the placebo treatment, sometimes derive most of their benefit from positive expectations rather than the therapy itself. [...]

PALO ALTO, Calif. and ROCHESTER, Minn. — April 16, 2014 — Better, a consumer health start-up, and Mayo Clinic have launched a new way for people to navigate the complexity of the healthcare system simply and quickly. Through a mobile device, Better provides tailored Mayo Clinic health information, 24/7 access to the clinic's experienced and highly-skilled nurses, and a Better Personal Health Assistant who helps simplify and manage people's care so they can use their time to focus on being well.

"Our culture of learning, innovation, and the desire to find answers has allowed Mayo to remain at the forefront of health and wellness, and we want to extend this expertise to people anywhere," explained Paul Limburg, M.D., medical director of Mayo Clinic Global Business Solutions. "People consistently tell us they want more convenient access to Mayo Clinic knowledge. We collaborated with and invested in Better to create a powerful way for people to connect with Mayo Clinic in their homes and communities, wherever they are."
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April is Donate Life Month; make your wishes known and don’t let misinformation stop you from saving lives

ROCHESTER, Minn. — April is Donate Life Month, a national recognition to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those who have saved lives through the gift of donation.

Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Edwards are in the downloads.

Nationally, Mayo Clinic has over 3,000 patients on the waiting list for an organ transplant. In recognition of Donate Life Month, Brooks Edwards, M.D., director of the William J. von Liebig Center for Transplantation and Clinical Regeneration and a transplant cardiologist, is available to the media to answer common questions and address myths and misconceptions pertaining to organ donation.

Some common myths include:

Myth: If I agree to donate my organs, the hospital staff won't work as hard to save my life.

Fact: When you go to the hospital for treatment, doctors focus on saving your life — not somebody else's. You'll be seen by a doctor whose specialty most closely matches your particular emergency, not by a doctor who performs transplants. [...]

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede will proclaim Friday, April 11, “Donate Life Day” in Rochester at a ceremony at the Gift of Life Transplant House (north house) starting at 4 p.m. that day. A 3-by-5-foot Donate Life flag will be raised as part of the ceremony to increase awareness and honor organ donors. The event is open to the public. The Gift of Life Transplant House is located at 705 Second Street SW.

More than 120,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant in the United States. Nearly 2,000 of those are children. Mayo Clinic has over 3,000 patients on the waiting list for an organ transplant. Every 10 minutes another name is added to the national waiting list. An average of 18 people die each day in the United States waiting for transplants that can't take place because of the shortage of donated organs.

April is National Donate Life Month, and events are happening across the country to increase support for organ, tissue and eye donation. In addition to the Donate Life Day event in Rochester, there are several other ways to participate or observe Donate Life Month: [...]

ROCHESTER, Minn. — March 21, 2014 — Here are highlights from the March issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. You may cite this publication as often as you wish. Reprinting is allowed for a fee. Mayo Clinic Health Letter attribution is required. Include the following subscription information as your editorial policies permit: Visit http://www.HealthLetter.MayoClinic.com or call toll-free for subscription information, 1-800-333-9037, extension 9771. Full newsletter text: Mayo Clinic Health Letter March 2014 (for journalists only).

Long QT syndrome — when the electrical activity of the heart takes longer than it should to return to normal after a heartbeat — can lead to potentially dangerous heart rhythms. The March issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers this condition and why it’s dangerous.

Long QT syndrome can cause fast, chaotic heartbeats that result in fainting, seizures or even sudden death. If long QT syndrome is suspected because of a fainting spell or family history, a doctor will likely suggest several tests, starting with an electrocardiogram (ECG).